Access ARM Pensions has reaffirmed its robust financial standing, announcing that it will meet the Securities and Exchange Commission’s new minimum capital requirement well ahead of the official deadline.
Speaking at the Annual General Meeting in Lagos, Acting Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer, Abimbola Sulaiman, emphasised that the transition will be funded entirely through internal resources.
She added that despite new regulatory capital requirements for pension operators, the company remains confident in meeting the threshold without diluting shareholders.
“The fact that we are able to pay dividends this year while still working towards meeting the new minimum capital requirement ahead of the regulator’s deadline demonstrates our confidence in the strength and performance of the business.
We will meet the capital requirement before the deadline, and we will not require any external capital injection to do so,” she stated.
This move signals a high level of liquidity and operational efficiency, distinguishing the PFA in a competitive landscape where many players are weighing external funding options or potential mergers.
Access ARM Pensions recorded a 48 per cent rise in profit after tax, reaching N16.1bn in the 2025 financial year, as the pension fund administrator declared a dividend payout of N2 per share.
The company also posted strong topline growth, with gross revenue rising 50.4 per cent to N42.4bn in 2025, up from N28.2bn in 2024. This growth underscores the scale benefits and operational efficiencies realised from the combination of Access Pensions and ARM Pensions.
Furthermore, Assets Under Management increased significantly, surpassing N4tn in 2025 from approximately N3tn in 2024.
Sulaiman described 2025 as a defining year for the business, being the first full year in which the combined operations of both firms were reflected in the financial statements.
“If you recall, FY2025 was our first full year post-merger. In 2024, ARM Pensions was part of the business for only about five months, so 2025 marked the first full year of consolidation,” she said.
According to her, the company successfully extracted substantial operational synergies from the merger, particularly through cost optimisation, while simultaneously strengthening customer acquisition and expanding pension assets.
“We were able to extract significant synergies, particularly on the cost side. The business is strong, the brand is strong, and we recorded strong gains in customer acquisition and assets under management,” she stated.
Sulaiman noted that the company’s growth trajectory is outperforming broader industry expansion, largely driven by merger-related value creation and increased scale.
“Our AUM grew from about N3tn in 2024 to N4tn in 2025. We are seeing strong double-digit growth, not only in line with the industry but ahead of it, largely because of the value capture achieved from the merger,” she added.
She noted that the company expects even stronger performance over the medium term as integration benefits continue to mature: “Mergers and acquisitions typically take between one and three years before full integration benefits are realized. We are, therefore, optimistic about the growth trajectory ahead.”
Closing the session, Sulaiman pointed to growing opportunities within the pension industry as regulators push reforms aimed at widening penetration. A shareholder present at the meeting, Obinna Anyanwu, described the company’s commitment to shareholder returns as “highly encouraging.”
